I am excited to bring you an episode from another excellent podcast covering the local news industry. From Northeastern University’s School of Journalism, “What Works: The Future of Local News” is hosted by former Boston Globe editor Ellen Clegg and Northeastern’s Dan Kennedy. They talk to journalists, policymakers and entrepreneurs, and their conversations are always enlightening. In this episode, they talk to Linda Shapely of Colorado Community Media. CCM made national news a couple of years ago as the first investment by the National Trust for Local News. Given my position at the Colorado Press Association, our work with CCM and more importantly the crucial work they’ve been doing in their communities, I had a special interest in this conversation and think it deserves amplification.

• Linda Shapley: LinkedIn, Twitter

• Colorado Community Media: web, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram

• What Works: episode notes, podcast home, Twitter

• Dan Kennedy: web, Twitter

• Local News Matters: web, Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn

• Colorado Press Association: web, Twitter, Facebook

• Tim Regan-Porter: bio, Twitter

Yehong Zhu, founder and CEO of Zette, and Jake Seaton, founder and CEO of Column, about the challenges and successes of running tech startups that serve news organizations. They explore the impact of financial pressure in the industry and the importance of improving customer experience for publishers and readers. They discuss what journalism can learn from tech, the role of AI in journalism, and the importance of resilience and antifragility.

Episode chapters:

(02:34) - The appeal of journalism for these techies

(12:53) - The (overlooked) importance of user experience in journalism

(21:37) - How AI will impact journalism

(26:34) - Getting news orgs to be open to change

(37:10) - Agile project management

(45:41) - Rapid Fire Questions Visit https://localnewsmatterspodcast.com/ for show notes, transcripts and more.

Even as newsrooms shift their focus to reader revenue, evolving their digital ad strategies can provide a crucial boost to their sustainability and provide a valuable service to their local communities. Charity Huff, CEO of January Spring and managing partner at Maroon Ventures and host Tim Regan-Porter explore the latest trends in digital advertising and how they impact local news outlets. We also explore the unique ad product launched by the Colorado Press Association, News Audience Retargeting, which helps advertisers reach their target audience more effectively, and provide a quick primer on digital advertising for those who don’t know their OTT from their DSP. Don’t miss out on this episode on the ever-evolving ad market and how newsrooms can respond to build stronger businesses and serve their communities.

 Episode chapters:

(01:49) - The importance of digital advertising for local news organizations

(05:54) - A primer on digital advertising

(11:49) - Growing digital ad revenue by focusing on the value of your audience and the needs of local businesses

(15:20) - Newsletters as a key growth area

(19:45) - Other areas of growth for 2023, including sponsored content

(27:04) - News Audience Retargeting, a new digital product to extend reach and reinforce the value of news readers

Last year, the Aurora Sentinel in Colorado transitioned to a non-profit and immediately began exploring options for community investment. Working closely with Joaquin Alvarado, they are preparing to roll-out a community ownership initiative modeled after Green Bay Packers’ fan-ownership structure.

In this episode of Local News Matters, Dave Perry, editor and publisher of the Aurora Sentinel, and Joaquin Alvarado, founder of Studio To Be, discuss innovative ways to support local journalism, looking to the Packers and cultural institutions like theaters, why philanthropy is not enough and community buy-in is crucial, and why accountability requires news that is grounded in local communities.

Episode chapters:(02:58) – Introductions and background (05:49) – Why it was important to find a new model and keep the Sentinel going (16:30) – Community ownership and a culture of accountability (27:25) – Philanthropy is not enough (29:15) – Reader revenue, paywalls and equity

• Aurora Sentinel: web, Twitter, Facebook
• Dave Perry: Twitter, LinkedIn
• Joaquin Alvarado: LinkedIn
• Studio To Be 
• Local News Matters: web, Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn
• Colorado Press Association: web, Twitter, Facebook
• Tim Regan-Porter: bio, Twitter

Steve Waldman recently stepped away from Report for America to found Rebuild Local News, a nonprofit focused on using public policy to support journalism. In this episode, we talk through the history of public policy as it relates to news, the perils of government involvement, the nuances of crafting policy that balances multiple goals and concerns, and the state of local news. Steve also reflects on his time at Report for America, shares reasons for optimism and offers advice for young journalists trying to balance careers and their mental health.

Episode chapters:

(02:36) - Why journalism needs public policy as a tool

(06:56) - The history of government support and involvement in news

(12:23) - Why the state of local news demands action now

(20:50) - Crafting policy to minimize interference but weed out bad actors

(25:52) - This about supporting public goods, not propping up a failing business model

(30:01) - For-profits and nonprofits, legacy institutions, serving rural and minority communities

(43:25) - Moving from a federal to a state focus

(50:58) - Reflecting on Report for America

(54:48) - Rapid-fire questions

Visit localnewsmatterspodcast.com for all episodes, transcripts, show notes, links, and more.

When the pandemic hit North America in 2020, Emmy-winning journalist Maritza Félix started a WhatsApp group to answer questions for friends and family on both sides of the border between Arizona and Mexico. What she assumed would be a short-lived project for people she knew has grown to encompass daily conversations on WhatsApp, original reporting for the web, newsletters, podcasts, a radio show and more. In this episode, Félix talks about the challenges of getting funding for a Spanish-language initiative on non-traditional platforms, learning to be an entrepreneur, and more.

Episode chapters:

(03:17) - How Conecta Arizona came about

(12:40) - Convincing funders to support Spanish-language media on non-traditional platforms

(21:51) - How Conecta Arizona uses WhatsApp to serve communities

(28:00) - Rigor and fact-checking in community conversations

(32:19) - Learning to think like an entrepreneur

(44:34) - Advice for non-Latino journalists serving Latino communities

(50:14) - Investing time in community as a seed for democracy

(54:21) - Rapid-fire questions

Visit https://localnewsmatterspodcast.com/ for show notes, links, transcripts and more.

Links:

• Maritza Félix: web, Twitter, Facebook

• Conecta Arizona: web, Twitter, Facebook

• Comadres al Aire podcast: web, Twitter

• Cruzando Líneas podcast

• Mentioned:

  • John S. Knight (JSK) Journalism Fellowships at Stanford: web, Twitter

  • Executive Program in News Innovation and Leadership in Journalism at the Craig Newmark Graduate School of Journalism at CUNY

  • Radio Bilingüe: web, Twitter

  • Conexión Migrante: web, Twitter, Facebook, YouTube

  • Radio Ambulante podcast

  • De Eso No Se Habla podcast

  • Documented NY

  • Enlace Latino NC

  • Outlier Media

  • Southerly

  • Mendocino Voice

• Local News Matters: web, Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn

• Colorado Press Association: web, Twitter, Facebook

• Tim Regan-Porter: bio, Twitter

Michael Bolden’s role as CEO of the American Press Institute and his background in newsrooms, philanthropy, academia and community engagement puts him in a unique 360-degree view of journalism and how journalists interact with communities. In this conversation, we explore journalism’s importance for democracy, the need to listen with humility, the need to build healthy and supportive cultures, the role of metrics in news and much more.

Episode chapters:

(2:49) - Press as an enabler of the American democratic experiment

(4:35) - Listening to your community (and not just your audience)

(14:49) - The strength and resilience of community media organizations

(19:30) - The news ecosystem needs a mix of startups, legacy institutions and individuals

(23:17) - Be skeptical and don’t just follow the lead of funders

(27:42) - A holistic vision of cultural and financial health

(31:05) - Supporting, retaining and managing a stressed and overworked staff

(33:52) - Welcoming non-journalists as information providers

(37:41) - Metrics for News, listening and a 360° view

(42:30) - Transforming an organization

(46:37) - Rapid-fire questions

Links:

• Michael Bolden: web, Twitter, Mastodon

• American Press Institute: web, Twitter

• Mentioned:

• Alaska Public Media

• Annandale Today

• Atlanta Voice

• Baltimore Banner

• Bay Curious from KQED

• Conecta Arizona

• DC RealTime News

• Honolulu Civil Beat

• JSK Journalism Fellowships

• The Kansas City Defender

• Metrics for News

• Missoulian

• Newsroom Confidential

• Rocky Mountain PBS

• San Francisco Chronicle’s SFNext

• She Said 

• Society of Professional Journalists

• Source Matters

• Street Sense Media

• VTDigger

• The Washington Post

• Wisconsin Public Radio

• Local News Matters: web, Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn

• Colorado Press Association: web, Twitter, Facebook

• Tim Regan-Porter: bio, Twitter

  Visit https://localnewsmatterspodcast.com/ for show notes, transcripts and more.

This week, a draft of a Colorado open records bill circulated on Twitter. The bill, among other things, would give a special cost break to news media—as defined in the bill—on records requests. Should journalists get special treatment and should government define who’s included in that designation? Jeff Roberts, executive director of the Colorado Freedom of Information Coalition and president of the National Freedom of Information Coalition, and Corey Hutchins, writer of the “‘Inside the News in Colorado” newsletter, join host Tim Regan-Porter to discuss.

Visit https://localnewsmatterspodcast.com/ for show notes, transcripts and more.

When Spaceship Media's Erica Anderson found herself arguing with her mom over vaccines, she wanted to apply Spaceship's dialogue journalism techniques. What resulted was even more personal than anticipated. 

In this episode, Eve Pearlman and Erica Anderson discuss centering relationships and community when having conversations across differences, how Spaceship Media approaches dialogue journalism to inform those conversations, and how the approach played out in Erica’s conversations with her mom in their new podcast, The Wedge.

Episode chapters: (3:21) - Launching Spaceship Media and then The Wedge podcast (19:03) - The tension between journalism and authenticity (24:05) - Putting relationship and service first (30:54) - The great scale question (33:21) - Presenting facts in a way that people can hear them (36:31) - Vulnerability and using objectivity as a personal shield (39:08) - What does it take to do this work of dialogue journalism? (43:03) - Rapid-fire questions (56:22) - Fact check 

Resources:

• Spaceship Media: web, Twitter, Facebook
  • The Wedge podcast
  • Eve Pearlman: Twitter
  • Erica Anderson: Twitter

• Mentioned
  • The Criminal Under My Own Hat by T Bone Burnett
  • Think Again by Adam Grant
  • How Minds Change by David McRaney
  • Pleasure Activism by adrienne maree brown
  • Emergent Strategy by adrienne maree brown
  • Rabbit Hole podcast from The New York Times
  • Dead Eyes podcast by Connor Ratliff

• Colorado Press Association: web, Twitter, Facebook
  • Tim Regan-Porter: bio, Twitter
  • Bay Edwards
  • Rachel Pickarski

Visit https://localnewsmatterspodcast.com/ for show notes, transcripts and more.

Jennifer Brandel, co-founder of Hearken, Zebras Unite, Civic Exchange Chicago, Election SOS, Democracy SOS and WBEZ’s Curious City, shares lessons on designing experiments for sustainability, equity and impact.

Episode chapters:

(2:40) - Jennifer’s path to public radio and Hearken

(9:57) - Grants and designing experiments for sustainability

(13:36) - Lessons for instilling new ideas in newsrooms (or any business)

(33:45) - Hearken and a portfolio of listening

(40:22) - Zebra’s Unite and a different kind of tech startup ecosystem

(47:19) - Diversifying your organization and your audience

(52:51) - Reflecting on election coverage

(58:12) - Rapid-fire questions

(1:09:35) - Fact check by Bay Edwards & Rachel Pickarski